3 AM
by SteelCityMagnolia
Summary: Is there ever a right time or a right way to propose? A bit of a prequel to my story Out of the Ashes.
1. Chapter 1

*** DISCLAIMER *** As always, I do not claim any ownership of these characters, nor is any ownership implied. Just taking them out to play!

Gage sat at the bar at CD's, an almost-untouched longneck sitting in front of him. He took the small black velvet box out of his pocket and opened it for probably the millionth time since he'd brought it home from the jewelry store. The princess-cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds and perched on its platinum band sat nestled inside. He'd bought the ring a year ago. A year. And he still hadn't worked up the nerve to ask Sydney to marry him.

When he'd bought the ring, she'd only just kissed him that once, after Walker and Alex's wedding. He had been sitting just about where he was right now and they'd spent the evening following the news about Walker and Alex's plane to Paris. There had been an incident and Walker had been forced to take control of the plane. When they found out the plane had landed safely, Sydney had launched herself into his arms, kissing him - a full-on, on-the-lips kiss that had rocked his entire world upside-down and sideways. He had dreamed about that kiss from the moment he met her, and there it was, everything he'd ever imagined, yet still taking him completely by surprise. He was so shocked by it that he was embarrassed to admit he didn't follow up on it, and afterwards, Sydney acted like it never happened. Gage wasn't sure how to bring the subject up, though he absolutely wanted to. When he did finally get the nerve up to talk to her about it, the week after he bought the ring, she had kicked him square in the jaw. Kicked him. After that, he put the ring away for a while and nursed his hurt pride.

He bought the ring after they'd finished an undercover assignment posing as a married couple to help break up a ring of kidnappers stealing newborns from hospitals and selling them. Walker often had them pose as a couple undercover – they had such good chemistry together and could pull off the couple act so convincingly – but this assignment had been one of his favorites. Inside that fancy house, acting as if they were married right down to the wedding rings on their fingers, it had all seemed so effortless and Gage loved how it all looked and felt. He loved the feel of the wedding ring on his finger. It was a good feeling, a comfortable feeling that up until then he hadn't realized he had been longing for; longing for so much, in fact, that when the assignment ended he didn't take the ring off.

" _Aren't you going to take that thing off?" Sydney asked._

" _What thing?"_

" _That ring."_

" _Oh, I didn't even realize I still had it on."_

 _They stopped at a red light and Gage lost himself in thought about their undercover mission; how the wedding band and engagement ring looked on Sydney's left hand, how she looked holding the newborn baby in her arms. So that's what it could feel like actually being married to her. His mind played through various scenarios: coming home from work to her, falling asleep next to her, waking up next to her, what happened in that bed besides falling asleep and waking up._

" _Gage. Gage!" Sydney snapped her fingers in front of his face. "That light won't get any greener."_

" _Oh. I was just ah, just, ah…." Gage stepped on the gas as horns blew behind them._

" _What is wrong with you?" Syd asked, sounding a little peeved. Wife Sydney was gone and she was Partner Sydney again._

" _Umm, nothing. Nothing's wrong." Gage replied, feeling the heat of a blush creep up from under his collar._

A few days later, he stopped off at a jewelry store after work and this ring – _the_ ring – caught his eye. It was so perfectly Sydney. He really wasn't sure why he bought it, they hadn't even been on a date; but after spending so much time with her, Gage knew she was the one he was meant to be with and that at some point he was going to marry her. He just had to find the perfect time to ask her.

Gage had thought of asking her when they went to Sage City for the Ranger baseball game. Some alone time away from work would be perfect, he thought, but he just had to go and ask her about that kiss and she kicked him for it. If that's how she reacted to talking about a kiss, he was downright petrified to find out what she'd do in response to a marriage proposal, so the ring went back home with him and got pushed to the back of his nightstand drawer.

He could have asked her after their undercover stint as bikers. That one almost ended badly. Their cover was blown and Sydney was nearly blown up in a meth lab. Gage still felt sick when he thought of it and how things could have ended. But there was that one moment while undercover that he had gotten to kiss her. It was a spur of the moment thing. He had just been made part of the Raptors and in celebration he, as Nail, grabbed Syd, as Ronnie, and kissed her and it was amazing. Afterwards, one thought kept running through his mind – 'I kissed Syd!' and he had to work hard to keep his composure and not blow their cover. Why he didn't ask her afterwards, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was the shock of having their cover blown or maybe it was the fear of telling her his feelings after she'd kicked him the first time he attempted to bring things up. Whatever it was, he didn't ask, and the ring stayed in the drawer.

He thought of asking her before his class reunion. He would have been thrilled to introduce her to everyone as his fiancée. He could just imagine the reaction from his classmates over that, walking in to the reunion with Syd on his arm, diamond on her finger, feeling like he had won the biggest prize of them all, and… Syd would have hated it. She would never have forgiven him, and he felt bad for even thinking of her like that - like a trophy - so the ring remained in its usual spot.

When he lost his hearing after coming up on a carjacking gone bad that night, Sydney was beside him every step of the way, even learning sign language and putting up with his frustration with not being able to hear or work. Her dedication just reinforced for Gage that Syd was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He should have asked her then, when he got his hearing back. She was there when he woke up from that surgery and her voice was the first sound he heard. Nothing in his life had ever sounded sweeter. He even thought she had said something about wishing he was there every night when she went to sleep, but he wasn't sure he hadn't dreamt that. She never brought it up again, and Syd really wouldn't have said that, would she? Still, that thought, along with those two earth-shattering kisses buoyed him and gave him hope that one day when he got up the nerve to ask her to marry him, she'd say yes.

Then Trivette and Erika got engaged and Alex had the baby and Gage could feel Sydney drifting off into that far away place she would go to when she started feeling bad. She went there when Alex and Walker got married. Her usual perky cheerfulness had been replaced with a sadness that lasted for days leading up to the wedding and lingered for days after. He tried to tell her how he felt that night at CD's when she was hurling darts at the dartboard so hard that he was sure she would put one through the wall, but she didn't figure out that his speech about some guy who would appreciate her was about him. She tried to hide the sadness from everyone, but he saw it. He saw it and he hated it. He knew why she felt that way – she felt like she was never going to be a wife or a mother. She never talked about it, but he knew those were two things she wanted most in life and more than anything he wanted to make them both happen for her. But so close after Trivette's engagement and Alex and Walker's baby? He didn't want her to feel like he was doing it for her out of pity.

 _Sydney had caught the bouquet again at Trivette and Erika's wedding. Well, not so much caught it as it landed in her lap. She was kneeling down to try to get Angela to walk to her – Walker and Alex's baby girl had just taken her first steps a few days before – when Erika tossed the bouquet. All the single women vying for it managed to bat it in Syd's direction and it landed square in her lap as she knelt alongside the dance floor. She wasn't happy about it._

" _Hey Syd, caught another bouquet, huh?" Gage teased his petite partner as he came back to the table with their drinks._

" _Shut it, Gage." Sydney dropped the bouquet on the table and sat down with a scowl on her face. "I swear I am a magnet for these things," she told Alex._

 _When it was time to toss the garter, Trivette held the garter up, waved it around a couple times, and instead of tossing it to the waiting crowd, he instead turned and walked over to Gage and handed it to him. Trivette clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't screw it up, man," was all he said._

" _What did he do that for!?" Sydney nearly fell off her chair as Alex and Walker laughed at her reaction._

 _The DJ called for the lucky bachelor and bachelorette to come to the center of the floor, reminding the guests that Gage now had to put the garter on Sydney's leg and that for every inch above her knee he placed the garter, it meant a year of marital bliss for Erika and Trivette. As Gage walked toward the center of the floor, Trivette called out from the edge of the dance floor, "Give us a long, happy marriage, man!"_

 _Sydney just sat there, stunned. Gage motioned for her to come out to the center of the floor with him. She shook her head no. He motioned again. Again she shook her head no. Gage started to walk toward her and finally Sydney stood up. The room burst into applause and she felt her face turning as dark pink as her satin bridesmaid's gown. As she settled herself on the chair that Erika had just been seated on, she issued a stern warning to Gage through clenched teeth, "You just watch how far north you head with that thing, Francis Gage. I'm not shy about kicking you in the face and you know it."_

" _Aw, come on, now, Syd. Don't you think Trivette and Erika deserve a long, happy marriage? It's the least we can do for our friends, now, isn't it?" Gage smiled and winked at her as he knelt on the floor in front of her._

" _Damn it, Gage. That's not fair, making me feel guilty." Sydney lifted the hem of her dress to just above her ankles._

" _Oh, come on, Syd," Gage looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and then broke into a smile, that boyish grin that Sydney could never resist. She lifted her skirt up above her knees._

" _Now that's more like it." Gage winked at her again and slid the garter over her shoe and up to her knee. Slowly, he inched the garter up under her skirt until finally she squealed and pushed him away. The room burst into laughter and applause. Gage stood up, a huge smile on his face, then bent to wrap Sydney in a big bear hug. Sydney blushed, burying her face in Gage's broad chest._

" _Was that so bad?" Gage asked her, planting a quick kiss on her forehead._

 _Sydney raised her head, her eyes meeting his ice-blue eyes, and suddenly the room seemed to spin. "It's a good thing Erika and Jimmy are two of my best friends," she teased, "Because I wouldn't have done that for just anyone. "_

 _Gage released her from his embrace and Sydney was almost immediately sorry. Standing alone on the dance floor wasn't nearly as fun as being swept up in Gage's strong arms._

 _Later, on the way home, Sydney and Gage were both very quiet and lost in thought. Sydney fumed silently, frustrated over one more caught bouquet and being the lone single of her friends now. Gage, conscious of the small velvet box in his hip pocket, frantically tried to think of how to word the question he'd been dying to ask the beautiful, dark-haired woman sitting beside him in the passenger seat and debated if he even should._

 _When they pulled in front of Sydney's house, she reached for the door handle._

" _Syd, wait, the door. I'll get it." Gage jumped out and rushed around the front of the car as Sydney struggled with the door from the inside. Gage opened the door of the orange Chevelle and caught Sydney as she tumbled out, spilling her caught bouquet on the sidewalk._

 _Sydney's annoyance was obvious as she scooped up the offending flowers and shrugged off Gage's assistance._

" _I really wish you'd fix that damn door, Gage," she huffed as she pushed past him into her house, leaving Gage standing on the sidewalk, his hand wrapped around the small velvet box in his pocket._


	2. Chapter 2

There had been other opportunities to ask her to marry him. Syd's birthday. Christmas. New Year's Eve. Countless nights spent together just hanging out watching movies. They had all passed and the ring had remained hidden away in its velvet box. Gage had his reasons, he supposed, but biggest reason of all was that he wasn't sure Sydney would say yes and he just couldn't handle that kind of rejection from her. She'd already destroyed his pride with that kick to the jaw. Gage wasn't about to let her destroy his heart, too.

"You know, she'll be a lucky girl to have you, and you'll be just as lucky to have her," Marta said as she wiped off the bar in front of Gage.

Gage jumped and snapped the ring box shut. Marta had startled him out of his deep concentration.

"Ask her," Marta said, patting his hand. "I've seen you two together in here for a long time. Just ask her."

Gage smiled weakly and took a sip of the now-warm beer in front of him. Above the bar, CD's picture seemed to be smiling down at him, saying the same thing. He could almost hear CD's voice in his head. CD had always wanted to see him get together with Sydney.

Marta walked back over to the end of the bar where Gage was sitting. "It's last call, honey. I don't suppose you want another one?" She motioned to the half-full longneck in front of him.

"No, thanks, Marta. I'm good." Gage tossed a few dollars on the bar and stood, picking his jacket up off the back of the chair.

"Ask her, honey. You can't keep torturing yourself wondering what if."

"Thanks, Marta. I'm working on it." Gage tucked the velvet box in his shirt pocket and walked out into the chilly January night air.

Gage fired up the motor on his Chevelle and turned up the heat and the defrosters. His mind was going a million different directions and he knew he wouldn't sleep if he went home, so he drove around instead. The night was crystal-clear and as he got away from the city lights, the stars revealed themselves, sparkling much like the diamond ring on the black velvet pillow in the box in his shirt pocket. Far out in the sky ahead of him, he saw a shooting star. He gasped in surprise when he saw it and pulled off to the side of the road. Remembering from childhood that he was supposed to make a wish, he did, wishing with all his heart for the one thing he wanted most and that what he was about to do wasn't going to be a crash-and-burn mistake.

The sound of the ringing phone was definitely not in Sydney's dream. Bleary-eyed, she felt around on her nightstand for her cell phone. At this hour of the morning, it was either a wrong number or work, and she was hoping for a wrong number. She looked at the display. Gage. Looked like she was going in to work.

"Hey, Gage, what is it?"

"Syd. Are you up?"

"I am now. What's going on?"

"Can I come over?"

"Gage, it's two-thirty in the morning. Is something wrong? Is it Julie?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just need to talk to you. Can I come over?"

"Sure, but…"

"I'll be there in just a couple minutes."

Sydney threw a pair of sweatpants on over the shorts she wore to sleep in and gathered her tangled hair in a messy ponytail. Yawning, she padded downstairs and made a pot of coffee. She had no idea what was going on with Gage, but she was pretty sure it was going to require coffee. She had just set two cups out on the counter when she heard his Chevelle pull up in front of her house. She walked out to meet him on the porch.

When Gage saw her, his heart did that funny leap it always did when Sydney was around. She looked adorable to him, messy hair, no makeup, a pink tank top and gray sweatpants and bare feet standing in the dim yellow light on her front porch.

"Hey, Syd."

"Hey, yourself. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just needed to see you."

"At nearly three in the morning, Gage? Something's wrong."

"No, I swear, nothing's wrong." Gage stood on the porch looking at Syd, feeling like a kid on his first date.

"Did you know tonight is a great night for shooting stars?" Gage walked over to the porch railing and looked up at the clear sky.

"Gage, please tell me you didn't wake me up in the middle of the night just to tell me that." Sydney's voice had an edge of annoyance to it.

"No, no, I didn't. I really do need to talk to you."

"Well, talk." Sydney started back into the house, holding the door open for Gage, but he didn't follow her. Instead, he grabbed her and pushed her against the porch wall, kissing her hard. His hands tangled in her ponytail, a low, deep moan escaping him as he pressed against her, his lips hard against hers, his tongue tasting and teasing her.

Sydney pushed him away, clearly annoyed and confused. She had only barely tasted beer in his kiss, so he hadn't been drinking and she couldn't blame his odd behavior on being drunk. "Gage, you better not have booty-called me because your hot date left you high and dry."

"No, no, no! Syd! That's not what this is at all."

"Then what is it?"

"Syd." Gage took a deep breath. Go big or go home, he told himself. "I have been thinking about this for a really long time. Ever since we did that undercover assignment when we posed as the married couple with the newborn baby. Remember that?"

"I remember. Gage, it's cold out here, can we at least –

Gage took his jacket off and wrapped it around Sydney's shoulders. "Please let me finish, Syd," Gage pleaded. "I've spent all night trying to figure out how to say this."

Sydney snuggled into the warm, worn leather. She was clearly puzzled. "Okay. Go ahead."

"I have been thinking about this for a long time, and I've had a lot of chances to do this, but I never did. It just never seemed like the right time or the right way."

"Oh, no. You're leaving Company B. Tell me you're not getting reassigned or quitting the Rangers." Sydney's dark eyes were wild with panic as she thought of losing the best partner she ever had.

"No! No, I'm not leaving or quitting! God, I am screwing this up so bad." Gage ran his hands through his blond hair and took a deep breath. "Let me try again."

"This really isn't how I wanted to do this. I had thought of taking you out for a romantic dinner, maybe to the Dragonfly, or maybe going on a moonlight picnic or taking you away for a weekend down to the beach, but, ah, hell, Syd, every time I thought of doing this, I got scared of what you might say. All I know is that every minute I am away from you, I spend it thinking about you and how I can't wait to see you again. And every minute I am with you, I dread the idea of being away from you." Gage reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the small black velvet box that had been his near-constant companion for the past year.

"I can't imagine my life without you, Syd. I've known it from the moment I met you. You're perfect. You're beautiful. You make me laugh. You keep me in line. You can kick my ass when I need it. When my sister was in trouble and you went with me to find her, and when you were there for me after the bear attack and after I lost my hearing, hell, Syd, nobody else has ever done anything like that for me. And when they took you to Casa Diablo, I was so scared of what might happen to you. I would have moved mountains with my bare hands to get you back. I never trusted anyone as much as I trust you and I've never loved anyone as much as I love you."

"Gage – "Sydney started to speak but Gage stopped her again. Dropping to his knee on the porch in front of his petite partner, Gage opened the box and held it out to Sydney.

"Marry me, Sydney. Marry me."

Sydney couldn't even see the ring through the tears in her eyes. She wouldn't have cared if it were a cigar band in that box. All she knew was that the one wish she had carried with her for so long had just come true. She knelt down on the porch in front of Gage, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"I love you so much, Gage," her voice was filled with emotion.

"Is that a yes?" Gage asked hopefully, taking the ring from its velvet nest and sliding it onto Sydney's slender finger. It was a perfect fit.

"Oh, yes," Sydney answered between kisses. "Yes, yes, yes!"


End file.
